Wales bank holidays
Wales has eight bank holidays in a normal year and follows the same calendar as England. Here are the dates, the next one coming up and the answer on St David's Day.
Wales has 8 bank holidays in 2026, 8 bank holidays in 2027, 8 bank holidays in 2028.
| Date | Day | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | New Year's Day | |
| Friday | Good Friday | |
| Monday | Easter Monday | |
| Monday | Early May bank holiday | |
| Monday | Spring bank holiday | |
| Monday | Summer bank holiday | |
| Friday | Christmas DayNext | |
| Monday | Boxing DaySubstitute day |
| Date | Day | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Friday | New Year's Day | |
| Friday | Good Friday | |
| Monday | Easter Monday | |
| Monday | Early May bank holiday | |
| Monday | Spring bank holiday | |
| Monday | Summer bank holiday | |
| Monday | Christmas DaySubstitute day | |
| Tuesday | Boxing DaySubstitute day |
| Date | Day | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | New Year's DaySubstitute day | |
| Friday | Good Friday | |
| Monday | Easter Monday | |
| Monday | Early May bank holiday | |
| Monday | Spring bank holiday | |
| Monday | Summer bank holiday | |
| Monday | Christmas Day | |
| Tuesday | Boxing Day |
Dates follow the official GOV.UK bank holiday list where published. Later years are calculated from the statutory rules and can change if a holiday is added or moved by royal proclamation.
Which months have a bank holiday this year, and which have none.
Bank holidays are not devolved to the Senedd, so Wales and England always match.
1 March is Wales's national day but is not a bank holiday, despite repeated requests.
Wales has eight bank holidays, and four of them always fall on a Monday.
Welsh school term dates are set by councils and do not always line up with England's.
No. St David's Day (Dydd Gŵyl Dewi) on 1 March is widely celebrated across Wales with parades, eisteddfodau and daffodils, but it is a normal working day.
The UK Government. Scotland can set its own bank holidays, but in Wales the power is reserved to Westminster, so neither the Senedd nor the Welsh Government can create one. That is why support in Wales has not been enough to change the calendar.
Yes, exactly. GOV.UK publishes a single list for England and Wales. New Year's Day comes first, followed by Good Friday and Easter Monday, two Monday bank holidays in May, the Summer bank holiday on the last Monday in August, and Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
If a fixed-date bank holiday lands on a Saturday or Sunday, the next weekday becomes the bank holiday instead, just as in England.
Bank holidays are filled in green.
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
The next bank holiday in Wales is Christmas Day on Friday 25 December 2026.
Wales has 8 bank holidays in 2026. A normal year has eight.
No. St David's Day on 1 March is not a bank holiday in Wales or anywhere else in the UK.
St David's Day is 1 March every year. The next one falls on a Monday, 1 March 2027.
Because bank holidays in Wales are decided by the UK Government, which has turned down requests to add it, including after a unanimous vote of the National Assembly in 2000.
Only if the UK Government agrees, or if the power to set bank holidays is devolved to Wales. Neither has happened.
No. The coming Monday, 19 October, is not a bank holiday in Wales.
The Summer bank holiday in Wales is on Monday 31 August 2026, the last Monday in August.
No. Wales and England share the same bank holiday dates. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own additions.
No. Schools close on bank holidays, but term and holiday dates are set separately by councils and schools, and vary from one area to another.
No. There is no statutory right to time off or extra pay on a bank holiday in Wales. Your contract sets the rule, and an employer can count bank holidays as part of the 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave.